Anticipatory stress in children and adolescents

OBJECTIVE: Circumstances surrounding the New Madrid earthquake prediction on Dec. 3, 1990, offered a unique opportunity to study the effects of a disaster warning stage on children and adolescents. METHOD: An initial structured interview was administered to 553 third- and 10th-grade students before December 3, with follow-up interviews conducted 6-8 weeks later. RESULTS: This study documents the existence of a mild but prevalent PTSD-like reaction that arose from exposure to a prediction of disaster. CONCLUSIONS: Further study of anticipatory stress reactions is needed to provide insights into the development of methods for providing support to children during disaster warnings.